7th Model ASEM

In conjunction with the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11)

The 7th Model ASEM was a 3-day youth conference and political simulation of the actual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit. It was a platform for political debate and negotiation where over 150 participants from the 51 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) countries had the possibility to experience Asia-Europe diplomacy through role-play exercises, practical trainings as well as meetings with the ASEM Leaders of today.

The 7th Model ASEM included 3 main components:

Phase 1: An online pre-event phase (ca. 3 weeks) where the selected participants joined online pre-conference research and training modules which include individual tasks, excercises, case studies and team work;

Phase 2: A 3-day conference in Ulaanbaatar filled with plenary sessions, working groups, practical trainings and visits to Diplomatic Missions of ASEM countries located in Ulaanbaatar. The participants developed as a result of the conference the Chair's Statement of the 7th Model ASEM;

Phase 3: 4 student participants presented the Chair’s Statement of the 7th Model ASEM to the ASEM Leaders and official attending the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11). In agreement with the respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participating students had the chance to meet their Heads of States on the sidelines of the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11).

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Project Updates

The recent 7th Model ASEM in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, reached a new milestone for youth engagement in the ASEM process: 4 students participated in the Opening Ceremony of the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11) to address the Leaders of the 53 ASEM partners on ASEM’s future direction.

This student intervention will pave the way for a closer youth and political leadership exchange within ASEM, which is further underlined in the official Ulaanbaatar Declaration of ASEM11: The ASEM Leaders “appraised the role of stakeholders in the ASEM process and underscore[d] the need to increase their engagement in ASEM activities through incorporating the Asia-Europe youth forum […] as additional ASEM stakeholders’ fora”.

Following the procedures of the ASEM11, the participants of the 7th Model ASEM negotiated a Chair’s Statement through role play and debates in plenary sessions and specific thematic working groups.

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) also arranged direct interactions between the student delegates and their respective Heads of State and Government and/or Foreign Ministers with the support of several Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The government representatives were from Austria, Cambodia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Myanmar, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Switzerland, Thailand and Viet Nam. Check out who had the opportunity to meet her/his Leader here!

ASEF co-organised the 7th Model ASEM with the Mongolian Youth Federation (MYF) in collaboration with the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). UNICEF Mongolia, DiploFoundation and the ASEF University Alumni Network (ASEFUAN) supported the project.

3,925 young people across the whole ASEM constituency applied through an Open Call for the 7th Model ASEM to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. About 130 of these students are selected to join this large-scale conference, with at least 1 representative from each ASEM country.

Click on the 7th Model ASEM Participant Profiles to know more about the participants, speakers, resource persons and the organisers from ASEF and the Mongolian Youth Federation!

Ms Khongorzul CHAGNAADORJ, Director of the Management, Planning and Cooperation Department of the Mongolian Youth Federation, speaks to ASEF about her views on youth engagement in promoting Asia-Europe exchanges.

Q. What does the Mongolian Youth Federation believe the ASEM-youth would be most interested in seeing on the agenda of the ASEM process?

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We are of the firm belief that the youth would strongly welcome the initiation of concrete actions and a strong vision to promote educational exchanges between the 2 regions. This would allow the ASEM process to undertake a more visible and proactive role in creating an environment conducive for Asia-Europe collaboration in education through projects such as university exchanges, youth programmes and capacity trainings. We also see a stronger interest among the youth to be a part of the ASEM process, be it during the ASEM meetings or its side-events, where the youth can share and build a joint Asia-Europe vision with senior leaders.

Q. During the 7th Model ASEM participants will develop a consensus-based Chair’s Statement on the theme “20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for Future through Connectivity”. How does the Mongolian Youth Federation believe youth can contribute to increasing connectivity between ASEM countries?

Youth are at the forefront of connectivity! The youth are mobile and connected, both online and offline. Today’s younger generations are the result of a connected world, in which they can interact face-to-face through social media platforms, share cultures and exchange perspectives on a daily basis without the obstacles of physical borders. Our organisation works actively to promote a wider inclusion of international opportunities for our members and students - and here we believe that the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11) and the 7th Model ASEM will mark a milestone in our work to promote Mongolia to foreign friends as well as to increase our youth’s exposure to international affairs. For us, these projects are connectivity in the making!

Q. What does the Asia-Europe collaboration mean to Mongolian youth?

The Mongolian youth are eager to play a more prominent role in the Asia-Europe collaboration led by ASEF and ASEM. We are glad to be a part of the 2 upcoming youth projects organised by ASEF, the 7th Model ASEM and the 20th ASEF Summer University, as they will allow our youth to influence and partake in these initiatives, as well as to learn from fellow peers from the other 50 ASEM countries. Our hope for the ASEM process and the Mongolian youth engagement is to have a fruitful and long-lasting collaboration, in which both parties can learn, share and improve together.

Are you ready to discover your diplomatic vein and fine-tune your skills for negotiation, consensus-building and public speaking? Apply for the 7th Model ASEM and engage with 150 participants from all 51 ASEM countries in a simulation exercise of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.

The 7th Model ASEM is a 3-day youth conference held in conjunction with the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11) on 6-10 July 2016 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Participants have the opportunity to explore their diplomatic skills while role-playing a Head of State or Government at the conference. The past editions of Model ASEM have brought together hundreds of students, members of ASEM delegations and ministries as well as ASEM academic experts from the 53 ASEM partners.

Why should you apply?

Gain and develop skills in the fields of negotiation, diplomacy and consensus-building

Play the role of a Head of State or Government of an ASEM country and discuss political, economic and socio-cultural issues

Meet leaders from governments, academia and international organisations

Enhance your understanding of Asia-Europe collaboration and the ASEM process

Visit diplomatic missions of other ASEM countries located in Ulaanbaatar to gain an in-depth knowledge about the functions of an Embassy or Consulate